It's back! The dates for this year's Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire have been set and anxious fans can now go and register at SOE's official Fan Faire website. Along with the typical costume contests and developer round tables, this year's Fan Faire also includes gameplay tournaments and a silent memorabilia auction. Here's the official word:

April 17, 2008 San Diego, Calif.  Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online games industry, today announced the date for its annual Fan Faire, a real-life social event where thousands of gamers from around the world gather with members of their online community to play video games and make new friends.

This years four-day extravaganza, which includes gameplay tournaments, a costume contest, a silent auction for game memorabilia, real-life quests and exclusive sneak peeks at upcoming products from SOE, will be held August 14-17, at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fan Faire is by far the best vacation destination for SOE gamers, their families and friends, said Alan Crosby, Senior Director, Global Community Relations, Sony Online Entertainment. This is the ultimate party for gamers and a great chance to meet up with their online friends in the real world.

In addition to enjoying the whimsical game-driven environment, attendees at SOEs Fan Faire 2008 will be privy to the second ever live community address from SOE President John Smedley, as well as How-To forums, game development panels, a party for the players and much more. Fan Faire attendees will also have the opportunity to meet the development teams for some of the worlds most successful online PC games, with specific activities and games being planned for each game. In addition, demos of the upcoming SOE titles, The Agency, Free Realms, as well as others, will be showcased. Fan Faire promises to deliver a weekend packed with activities and adventure for everyone ranging from casual gaming fans to entire guilds of vacationing gamers who can bring their families along on this quest for fun and excitement.